Portugal v Croatia - UEFA Nations League LIVE as Cristiano Ronaldo nets 900th career goal in spectacular style - Eurosport
The player was so close to scoring a goal that would have tied up the game!
Initially, Pasalic successfully controls a high pass from Josip Sutalo and attempts a shot that is deflected out for a corner kick. Croatia then manages to get a header on the ball around 10 yards from the goal, but it goes directly into the hands of Costa.
Both of Portugal's wingers are substituted, with Joao Neves coming on for Rafael Leao and Nelson Semedo replacing Pedro Neto, who missed a golden opportunity just before halftime.
Zlatko Dalic was worried about Duje Caleta-Car's health before this match, but he has been replaced by Marin Pongracic in the second half.
The second half has begun.
Martinez has made two changes to the lineup. Portugal has changed their formation to include wing-backs after initially starting with a 4-3-3 formation. Mendes is now aggressively pushing forward in the attack.
The game doesn't appear to be as close as the stats indicate.
Remember, we're playing tonight. San Marino could win their second match and are still in the running after Liechtenstein had a goal disallowed. It would be the Whipping Boys' first victory in 20 years and their first in a competitive game.
In the home countries, Paddy McNair and Daniel Ballard scored at Windsor Park. Meanwhile, Poland's Robert Lewandowski extended their lead with a penalty after Sebastian Szymanski opened the scoring against Scotland.
Outcome: Azerbaijan loses to Sweden 1-3 in Group C
The soccer match between Denmark and Switzerland ended in a draw with a score of 0-0.
In the football match between Northern Ireland and Luxembourg, Northern Ireland emerged victorious with a 2-0 win.
San Marino and Liechtenstein played to a 0-0 draw.
HT - WHICH SOCCER GAMES ARE AIRING ON TNT SPORTS?
TNT Sports has announced that they will be broadcasting more than 500 games from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, and the UEFA Conference League, along with exclusive Premier League matches throughout the 2024-25 season.
TNT Sports can be found on discovery+, which is the go-to streaming service for sports fans in the UK. With a subscription, viewers can access TNT Sports, Eurosport, and other entertainment all in one place.
Games that are scheduled to take place during the blackout period on Saturdays in the UK will not be broadcasted live on television. This blackout period restricts the showing of games between 2:45 PM and 5:15 PM in the UK.
Intermission: Portugal leads Croatia 2-1
Sosa sends the ball out for a corner kick, but the referee decides that there isn't enough time to take it with only one minute of stoppage time remaining.
Even though the Portuguese players crowded around the officials, they remained unswayed. Eventually, Modric managed to pull Ronaldo away, and the former teammates shared a laugh as they walked off into the tunnel.
What an exciting end to the first half! Neto is speeding down the left side and as the defense tries to stop him, he continues pushing forward, before taking a powerful shot from a short distance. The ball almost beats Livakovic but instead hits the crossbar and bounces away from Ronaldo.
43 minutes into the game, Portugal scores a goal against Croatia, making the score 2-1. The goal was an own goal by Dalot.
He scored goals for both teams today and suddenly, Croatia is back in the game! Livakovic's fast decision making leads to a counterattack and Kramaric, who was offside before, runs perfectly to receive the ball on the right side of the penalty area.
He skillfully lifts the ball before passing it low to his teammate who is running towards the goal. It seems like they missed the opportunity, but Borna Sosa comes in sliding to push the ball back into the small area near the goal, and Dalot ends up unintentionally kicking it over Costa.
Livakovic has been one of Croatia's top performers tonight and makes a smart decision to rush out and block Mendes.
At the 37th minute mark, Croatia appears disheveled and worn out.
How come Portugal did not perform well in the Euros?
They have been highly skilled and have left Croatia far behind - the 2022 World Cup semi-finals have been tense the whole game as Leao nearly breaks away from the defense but loses possession of the ball.
At 34 minutes into the game, Portugal scores their second goal against Croatia thanks to Ronaldo.
This was the moment everyone had been waiting for, Cristiano Ronaldo's 900th goal!
It was incredibly straightforward, with a fast cross from Nuno Mendes being met by the legendary player in the penalty area. He quickly reacted and kicked the ball with his right foot, sending it past Livakovic who could do nothing to stop it.
While Kramaric makes an impressive save against Costa, let's not forget that we'll be bringing you live updates from the Spain-Serbia match tonight. Here's a rundown of the rest of the UEFA Nations League matches that have taken place in the first half-hour of play.
Outcome: Azerbaijan was defeated by Sweden with a score of 1-3 in Group C.
The match between Denmark and Switzerland ended in a goalless draw with a score of 0-0.
Northern Ireland beat Luxembourg 2-0 with all goals coming in the second half.
San Marino tied with Liechtenstein in a scoreless draw.
Croatia decided to take a short corner, but Modric made a mistake by sending a simple five-yard pass to Martin Baturina which is not something we usually see from him.
Finally, Kramaric manages to create a chance to shoot, but his shot goes wide from outside the box. The away team seems tired at the moment.
The audience is eagerly anticipating witnessing a historic moment tonight and they come close to experiencing it as Ronaldo swiftly grabs onto a clever backheel from Rafael Leao.
Even though he made a good shot on goal, it was from a difficult angle. Livakovic positioned himself well and was able to make the save, only giving up a corner kick.
21' - WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THIS MOMENT?
Ronaldo earns a free kick within shooting distance and... decides to let his teammate take it instead? The ball is crossed towards the far post but Croatia are able to clear it safely.
18' - QUIET MOMENT IN THE GAME
A powerful shot from a distance went directly towards Costa, prompting Portugal to take charge of the game and causing a wave of excitement among the fans in the stands.
Incredible shot by Modric! Mario Pasalic passes the ball to the midfielder who is running towards the edge of the penalty area. Modric takes a curling shot towards the near post that almost beat Diogo Costa, but unfortunately goes just wide.
Bernado Silva gives away a corner, but it results in an opportunity for Portugal! They quickly kick the ball up the field on a counterattack, forcing Livakovic to sprint nearly to the middle of the field to clear the danger with a slide tackle.
8 minutes in and Portugal opens the scoring with Dalot finding the back of the net. Portugal leads 1-0 against Croatia.
Portugal had a fantastic beginning! Fernandes, once again, played a key role as he quietly moved in from the left side and had multiple choices to pass to. Eventually, he found the Manchester United defender with a skillful flick, perfectly timing the run.
Dalot had some distance to cover as he sprinted towards the goal, closely followed by Borna Sosa. However, he managed to adjust his position and shoot past Livakovic to score and take the lead!
The crowd at Estadio de Luz roars with excitement when Ronaldo gets possession of the ball, however, it is Fernandes who puts Dominik Livakovic to the test with the first shot on goal. The ball rebounded towards him at the edge of the penalty area, but his quick shot was not able to beat the keeper.
Portugal has chosen to play with three additional attacking midfielders, who were successful in restricting Croatia's possession. However, their opponent's player, Andrej Kramaric, made a mistake by going offside.
Following a lengthy discussion between the captains Ronaldo and Modric and a moment of silence for Benfica legend Adolfo Calisto, the game has begun! Portugal starts the match wearing grey, while Croatia is dressed in blue.
19:40 - The athletes are inside the tunnel
Only five minutes left until the game begins!
Pepe has decided to retire, and Roberto Martinez has left out Joao Cancelo, Danilo Pereira, and Francisco Conceicao from the squad. He has also introduced some new players, such as 17-year-old Geovany Quenda, who has only played in four senior games. However, the starting lineup is quite familiar.
4-3-3 formation with players like Costa, Dalot, Dias, Inacio, Mendes, Silva, Vitinha, Fernandes, Neto, Ronaldo, Leao.
Injuries have caused Zlatko Dalic to have a shortage of full-backs, prompting him to change the formation in Lisbon.
In goal is Livakovic, with Sutalo, Pongracic, Gvardiol and Jakic in defense. Modric, Baturina, Kovacic and Sosa will be handling midfield, while Pasalic and Kramaric are up front.
As we focus on trying to qualify for the quarter-finals in this competition, San Marino has a more crucial matter on their hands tonight.
They are playing against Liechtenstein tonight and there is a good chance that they could win their second game ever, their first one since 2004, and their first competitive victory ever. So be sure to watch that match as well.
19:25 - AROUND THE STADIUM
A new season has begun, and two teams have already scored four goals in the second half in Baku. Here are tonight's matches and a preview of the upcoming weekend, including coverage of Spain-Serbia on TNT Sports.
Azerbaijan loses to Sweden 1-3 in their Group C match.
Serbia against Spain, Scotland against Poland, and Denmark against Switzerland will kick off at 7:45 PM. Belarus will face Bulgaria, Estonia will take on Slovakia, and Northern Ireland will play against Luxembourg in Group C. In Group D, San Marino will go up against Liechtenstein at the same time.
Friday, September 6th: Wales will be playing against Turkey at 7:45 PM. On Saturday, September 7th, Ireland will face off against England at 5:00 PM (UK time).
Most players are not to blame, as we have discussed before. In response to worries about player well-being, UEFA has made the decision to give up additional income from matchdays in order to decrease the number of games- just kidding, they have actually included more playoffs in the schedule.
If a team ends up in third place in their pool, they will compete against the second-placed team from the group below them in a two-legged match. The winner of this matchup will move up to the higher group for the 2026/27 competition.
Group A is the only group where the four second-place teams will compete against the winners of their pools in the Nations League quarter-finals. This will be a two-legged match held in March 2025. The victorious teams will move on to the semi-finals and final, which will be hosted in a single country as before.
It also has consequences for World Cup eligibility, but when it gets to that point, you'll likely have forgotten all the details, so we'll hold off on explaining that for now.
The players of Spain were filled with joy as they celebrated their victory in the UEFA Women's Nations League final. Irene Paredes proudly lifted the trophy after Spain defeated France at Estadio La Cartuja on February 28, 2024.
Picture credit: Getty Images
WHAT GAMES ARE AIRING ON TNT SPORTS FOR FOOTBALL FANS?
TNT Sports has announced that they will be broadcasting more than 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Conference League. In addition, they will also have exclusive coverage of Premier League games throughout the 2024-25 season.
TNT Sports in the UK can be streamed on discovery+, where viewers can subscribe to access not only TNT Sports, but also Eurosport and entertainment content all in one place.
Any games that take place during the blackout period on Saturdays in the UK are not allowed to be broadcast live on TV. This blackout period means that matches cannot be aired between 2:45 PM and 5:15 PM in the UK.
At 19:10, Ronaldo is the main attacker for Portugal.
Similarly, Roberto Martinez has selected a lineup that includes a well-known player in the striker position for Portugal.
At 7:05 PM, Modric leads the Croatian team on the field.
Luka Modric, who will be 39 years old next week, is playing again tonight for a team that has made just three changes from their Euro 2024 defeat.
Good evening and greetings!
The Nations League has returned, and it is larger than previous editions! This marks the beginning of a new phase in European international football as the Euro 2024 schedule is reset and teams start preparing for the upcoming World Cup in two years. Well, at least in theory.
Portugal and Croatia are treating today's game like just another day at the office. This is evident in the fact that Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo are still key players in their teams, despite their long careers filled with numerous accomplishments. In total, they have a combined 77 years of experience and more trophies than a seasoned big game hunter from the Victorian era.
Portugal was the top team in the European Championship qualifiers, and most of their core players are still in their prime. Meanwhile, Croatia has Modric, Ivan Perisic, and Andrej Kramaric, who all played in the 2018 World Cup final.
So maybe the next year will be a last opportunity and a chance to win more trophies - there's a better chance to reach the UEFA Nations League knockouts this time, but we'll talk about that later. The game starts in 45 minutes!
Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric
Photo credit: Getty Images (Note: "free English" is not a specific form of English. If you could provide more context or clarify what you mean by "free English," I can provide a more accurate transformation of the text.)
TNT Sports will broadcast more than 500 games from the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League in the 2024-25 season. Fans in the UK can watch these matches on discovery+, which offers a subscription package including TNT Sports, Eurosport, and other entertainment content all in one place.
